EYFS Curriculum
Intent
Our Early Years and Foundation stage provides children with a safe and happy place to learn and play. In partnership with families we are fully committed to providing an engaging and enriching curriculum. Children are guided on a nurturing journey enabling them to become more confident, inquisitive, imaginative and empathetic learners. Our inclusive and personalised curriculum promotes independence and encourages children to embrace challenge and to persevere. We believe there are no limits to what children can achieve. With determination, hard work and a positive attitude anything is possible.
Implementation
Elizabeth Selby Infant School follows the Early Years Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
This Framework specifies the requirements for learning and development in the Early Years and it is organised into seven Areas of Learning and Development:
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language development
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Through a well organised, stimulating environment, the children will learn through play and demonstrate positive characteristics of effective learning. These are: playing and exploring (engagement), active learning (motivation) and creating and thinking critically (thinking).
We plan a broad and balanced curriculum that values children’s prior learning and cultural backgrounds. We plan child-initiated topics that incorporate our schools core values of Respect, Inclusion, Safety and Equality.
Our carefully planned lessons aim to capture the children’s attention and imagination and create a sense of awe and wonder. We listen to children’s ideas, assess what they already know about a topic/subject and question what they would like to learn. Topics and learning opportunities are selected according to the children’s own interests. They build on children’s prior learning, skills and knowledge. Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development are at the heart of all learning. Topics are planned to ensure appropriate depth and challenge. We have recently developed our topics to include an artist of the week, special person of the week, poet of the week and a story of the week. This introduces the children to key inspirational people and their ideas. It also promotes the love of reading by highlighting significant authors and their works. We also ensure that we select people from a diverse range of backgrounds and focus on providing the children with a role models that they can relate to.
The timetable is organised effectively to ensure a balance of teacher directed and child-initiated activities. Learning through play is vital. We use the environment to ensure the children’s needs are met through continuous provision and enhanced provision and by following their interests. Our continuous provision challenges the children to push boundaries, take risks and create their own learning paths.
Our youngest learners in our two-year-old provision enjoy daily story sessions, singing sessions and a wide variety of adult led focus activities all with a creative emphasis. In Nursery the children have a different carpet session each day that focuses on either a prime or specific area of learning. They then have a focus activity that reflects the carpet session. In nursery the children also have a daily phonics session, singing session and story time. In Reception, each day children access a short daily Maths input, a Communication and Language/ Literacy input and a phonics carpet session. In Reception children are organised into phonics groups, according to where they are on their learning journey. These groups are fluid and flexible according to children's progress and needs. Children's progress is tracked each half term and this informs planning for next steps. We appreciate how children learn and develop differently and we plan bespoke interventions to provide opportunities for children to revisit previous learning, reinforce class teaching and to support children in achieving a Good Level of Development.
Impact
At Elizabeth Selby Infant School we use both formative and summative assessments to inform our medium term and weekly planning for our younger children. We start with a baseline assessment at the beginning of the school year. Assessment information is then used at half termly pupil progress meetings to inform next steps. Target children are identified and intervention is then planned and implemented. Lesson observations, learning walks and pupil/parent/staff voice are all used to monitor and evaluate the teaching and learning in EYFS.
Children in our EYFS experience a curriculum that provides exciting and enriching learning opportunities through educational visits and hands on learning activities. Children will be successful learners and fully prepared for the next stage of their education as they transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage One. Children at the end of the Foundation Stage will have developed the essential knowledge and skills required for everyday life and lifelong learning. Children at Elizabeth Selby Infant School will be well rounded, happy, inquisitive and successful learners.
